Enigma
by Blood Seraph
Summary: Never having gone to the academy, Naruto is an enigma to the kids his age, and had only come the day the Gennin exams were held. Sakura finds him interesting, and wants to know more about the enigma, being the curious girl she is. NaruSaku. Hiatus!
1. The Enigma

_**Enigma**_

**_Once again, another fic pops its way into my head, and this one wouldn't leave. So here you go, another fic from me. Damn me. Hopefully you like this one, as it's action, but it's what would've happened if Naruto hadn't gone to the academy and was instead trained personally by multiple people. You'll find out who they are in this chapter. Also, once again, this is NaruSaku, I'm very addicted if you can't see._**

**_Sorry for rambling, but here's the newest story from the head of Kokuou no Shin'en._**

_**Chapter I**_

_**The Enigma**_

"Okay, can anyone show me the Henge no Jutsu (_Transformation Technique_)?" Asks the teacher after he finishes going through the attendance list.

"I can sensei!" I call from the back of the room, getting a smile from the teacher.

"Okay, come up Sakura." He says as I race to the front of the class before performing the Henge (_Transformation_) into the old-man that I had seen momma talking to.

"Ah, very good Sakura, a perfect example of Henge, most of you should practice, since to pass the exams this year to get into the next, it's required that you can use Henge." He informs the class. I hear the entire class groan before the bell rings and they cheer.

"Yay!" I cheer with them, happy since school was out. Dropping the Henge, I run out the door with other kids to the front of the school. Cheering again as I reach outside, something catches my eye. Looking that way, to my surprise, I see a little boy standing in a tree. He looked about my age, he had golden-blond locks, cerulean-blue eyes that could be seen from here and three whisker marks adorning both cheeks. Pushing past some of the kids to get to the new boy, I was disappointed when he was gone when someone got in my way.

"Oh well, maybe I can see him tomorrow!" I cheer myself up, deciding on going home.

Heading straight home, all of a sudden I run into someone. That's when I realize that I didn't take the back roads. Looking up, I could only whimper as three of my long-time bullies stand there.

"Where you going so fast, Forehead?" Asks the leader of the group, to which I could only whimper

"What are you doing?" I hear a voice behind them say, causing them to turn on a heel and look at the intruder. Leaning to one side so I could see past them, I see the boy from earlier standing behind them with his arms crossed.

"What of it?" He replies, glaring at the newcomer.

"Ero-Sennin (_Perverted Sage_) says that useless violence is bad. So leave her alone and walk away." He warns them, making my eyes widen. These bullies were about three years older then us, making them ten.

"Shut up kid, your Ero-Sennin sounds like an idiot." Instantly I was scared. The look on the boys face said that that was the wrong thing to say.

"I don't mind being insulted, but insulting Ero-Sennin…" He whispers, head hanging, bangs covering his eyes. Now I was really scared, when he looked up his eyes were blood red and slanted. "But insulted Ero-Sennin is the really bad..." He says, before all I could see was a flash of yellow, and then the head bully was on his knees, eyes wide with the little kid's fist lodged into his stomach. Retracting his fist, he brings his foot up before bring it down on the back of the kids head, causing him to meet the cement.

"Naruto!" I hear someone call before the kid's eyes return to normal and he turns around to look at the man who had called him. The man was big, really big, he had really long white hair that was near his waist, and he had a huge scroll along with a Hitai-ate with the symbol for oil on it.

"Sorry Ero-Sennin, but they were going to hurt her." He says before point at me as he seemed really nervous. "And they insulted you!" He explains, waving his hands for emphasis.

"J-Jiraiya…" Whisper one of the bully's friends, before he runs off scared.

"Jiraiya?" I ask to no one in particular, testing the name in my mouth. "Naruto?" I say, once again to no one, but this time it got Naruto's attention.

"Naruto, we have to get out of here, we need to continue your training." I hear Jiraiya say with a sigh, before picking up the blond and disappearing in a puff of smoke.

That was the first, and last time I saw Naruto during the Academy.

* * *

(Five Years Later)

"Naruto…" I test the name in my mouth for the first time in years as I had not needed to. "I still haven't gotten the chance to thank you…" After that, I always kept a look out for him. But I hadn't found him. I figured he should have gone to the Academy, but once I found out who Jiraiya was, I could understand him not needing to. Him being one of the Densetsu no Sannin (_Legendary Three Ninja_).

"HARUNO SAKURA?!" Yells the teacher, Iruka, snapping me out of my trance.

"Yes, Iruka-sensei?" I ask, chuckling nervously.

"I have assigned you a special job." He says, smiling brightly, making me smile.

"Sure, what is it Iruka-sensei?"

"Well, we know that he hasn't come throughout the years, but if he wants to become a Gennin (_Low Ninja_), he needs to know the exams are in a week. I'd like you to find Uzumaki Naruto." The name instantly got me standing up.

"Uzumaki Naruto?" I ask, getting his, and the classes attention.

"Yeah, unless you hav-." He starts.

"No, I have no problem!" I say cheerfully as I run down the steps, since I'm in the back of the room, and take the piece of paper from him.

"Sakura, wait!" Iruka calls, snapping out of shook from the sudden outburst.

"Yeah sensei?" I ask, stopping in the doorway.

"If he refuses, say that Ojii-sama (_Grandpa_) wants him to." He says, making my eyebrow raise.

"Ojii-sama?" I ask, getting the same look from him.

Sighing, I run out the door before looking at the sheet of paper I took from sensei.

'He lives in the slums?' I ask, seemingly finding that hard to believe. 'But his sensei is Jiraiya, so shouldn't he be living somewhere nice?' Shaking these thoughts from my head, I start to make my way to west Konoha, where Naruto lived.

I took about an hour after I got there to find the right building, since they all seemed to look the same. Hell, I couldn't even find the right complex, but to my luck, and to my dismay, I ran straight into him, knocking us both down off a three story building. When I didn't feel the customary wind hitting me before going splat, I open my eyes to find that I was dangling from something. Looking to what caught, to my surprise I see Naruto standing on the wall holding the back of my shirt.

"Mind telling me why someone from the academy is running around the slums?" He asks, before pulling me close to his body and causing me to blush as he jumps back onto the roof and let me go before backing off.

"Um, Iruka-sensei wanted me to come and tell you that…" I start, trailing off in the end as I inspect him. He still had golden-blond hair, and it had gotten a little longer, making him look familiar, like I had scene it before. His eyes were the same as well, except that they weren't exactly cold, but not exactly inviting either. He wore dark clothing, navy blue pants, black sleeveless undershirt, which I notice hugged his well developed body, making me feel like a pervert, but it interested me at the same time.

'How does a twelve year-old get that kind of body?' Continuing to inspect him, he had gloves covering his hand, with the Konoha symbol engraved on the metal plates on them. He wore a Black vest that was zippered up to an inch or two before end.

'He really does seem like an enigma…'

"Yes, Iruka-sensei wanted you to come and tell me, what?" He asks, getting a little impatient as he fidgeted.

Before I continue, I couldn't help but wonder why he was nervous about something. "What's wrong?"

Glancing around, he looks a little scared. "Well, Baa-chan wanted me to meet her by training ground thirty, five minutes ago, and she has a bad temper…"

"Baa-chan?" I couldn't help but be curious. This enigma had the strangest nick-names for people.

"You'd probably call her Tsunade." He says off handedly, still inspecting the area. "But I find it fun to call her Baa-chan, but could you please tell me what Iruka wants, I don't want to be any later then I already am…" He says.

Sighing in defeat, I relay the message. "The Gennin exams are going to take place in a week, Iruka-sensei wanted me to tell you that. " I say, seeing him nod his head.

"That all?" He asks, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Yeah, an-." Before I could finish my sentence he was off faster then I could've imagined. That's when I realize he said Tsunade.

"Wow…"

'And I still didn't get to thank him…'

* * *

(A week later; Gennin Exams)

I couldn't help but wonder what team Naruto was gong to be on, we had all already passed and I was trying to catch up to Naruto, who the rest of the class ignored.

"Hey, Naruto!" I call, catching his attention as he turns to face me.

"Um, sorry, but what's your name?" He asks, making me smile sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, sorry, I'm Haruno Sakura, nice to meet you!" I say, holding out my hand, which he took and shook.

"Uzumaki Naruto, as you already know." He says, regarding me with interest.

"Um, I was wondering if you wanted to go and get something to eat?" I ask, hoping he doesn't take it for a date.

"Okay, where?" He asks, placing his hands behind his head as he walks along.

"Uh, why don't you choose?" I reply, seeing him raise an eyebrow.

"Kay, if we're going to Ichiraku, I'm paying, wouldn't want to bankrupt you." He says nonchalantly, stepping up the pace a little as we round the corner and there a sign says, 'Ichiraku Ramen!'

'Ramen, huh?' I think, laughing a little. That's when I notice something peculiar. A villager, no, the villagers were glaring at him. 'What the…'

"You coming?" Naruto asks as he stands outside the little Ramen shop, waiting for me. Nodding he heads inside, with me right on his heels.

"What'll it be today, Naruto?" Asks the chef kindly, his eyes closed because of his smile.

I see Naruto look at me before I get a little flustered. "I'll just get some chicken ramen please…" I say nervously, seeing Naruto nod.

"Teuchi, we'll get one medium chicken ramen and three large miso." Naruto ordered for the both of us.

"You mean she's with you?" He asks, jerking her head towards me as if it were uncommon.

"Actually, yes, I don't know why though…" He says, glancing at me out of the corner of his eye.

"Why did you want to get something to eat with me?" He asks, giving me a curious look.

"I dunno, guess I wanted to get to know you…" I say timidly, blushing a little.

"Is this what you'd call friendship?" He asks suddenly, causing my head to jerk up with surprise.

"What did you say?" I ask incredulously.

"He said, is this friendship." Teuchi says for him, handing me a bowl of ramen and three to Naruto.

Ignoring Naruto for the moment, I stare in wonder at the chef. "You're his first friend, well; at least you're his firs friend his age." Teuchi continues, making more ramen for some reason. "He's never had a friend before, much less talked to someone his age; he's normally with Tsunade or Jiraiya, and occasionally Kakashi, once I saw him with Anko. But he's never talked to someone his own age, I'd say you're the first in four years." He says, handing Naruto three more bowls of ramen. Looking at Naruto, I see that he had already finished with the other three, causing my jaw to drop.

'H-how…'

"Like I said, I don't want to bankrupt you." Naruto says without glancing at me.

"Hey, Naruto?" I ask after a silence had fallen over the small shop.

"Hm?"

"Do you remember five years ago?" I ask, seeing him look up at me as his eyes widen a little bit before the return to their normal state.

"What are you talking about?" He asks, finishing his twelfth bowl of ramen.

"I, I guess you don't remember, but thank you." I finally say it, and to my surprise, he just looks at me before smiling a little bit.

"For whatever you mean, you're welcome." He says, before getting up and checking the sun.

"Lets see, about five o'clock, two hours late…" I hear him say, before my eyes widen and I start apologizing profusely. All he did was smile before telling me to quiet down.

"Don't worry, Kakashi's always two hours late, so I should start heading there right now, so see you tomorrow Sakura!" Naruto calls, before disappearing.

"Kakashi?" I ask the wind. "Teuchi said that he was here once with Naruto…"

Shaking it off, I decide that I'd find out tomorrow.

* * *

(Next Day at Seven in the Morning)

I had been sitting in class spacing out, trying to think of who I would get on my team, when I hear the door open. Snapping out of it, Naruto walks in, a bored expression on his face as he goes and sits next to me, before closing his eyes.

"Team Seven, Haruno Sakura…" I hear Iruka-sensei call after inspecting Naruto.

"Uchiha Sasuke…" I felt my spirits lift as I whisper a quiet yes. Turning around, I stick my tongue out at Ino, causing her to twitch.

"And Uzumaki Naruto." He calls. Turning back around, I glance at Naruto to see him still lazily sitting back.

"And you're Jounin (_High Ninja_) sensei will be Hatake Kakashi." He finishes, to which Naruto immediately sits up.

"You're kidding! Right?" He yells, getting the entire class attention.

"No, I'm not Uzumaki, now sit down." Iruka says, before Naruto speaks up again.

"But we'll be here for hours! Kakashi's always late! Everyone knows that!" He yells, making everyone raise an eyebrow.

This got Iruka's attention as well. "What makes you think that, Uzumaki?"

"Before I even met him, Anko-chan told me about him! Saying he's always late!" Naruto continues to yell, making sure he had everyone's attention. At this, Iruka's eyes widened.

"You've met him?" He asks eyes still wide. This made Naruto quiet.

"Yeah…" He mumbles, rubbing the back of his head. "Never mind, I'll sit quietly…" He continues to mumble, before sitting back down and placing his head in his arms.

Iruka calls out the rest of the teams, and a little over fifteen minutes and we're the last ones in the class room, even Iruka-sensei left.

"Told you…" Naruto mumbles to no one in particular.

"Is this the same Kakashi you told me about yesterday?" I ask, seeing him nod, before he goes up to the blackboard and talks the chalk.

"What are you doing?" I ask, getting a sigh out of him before he starts to try schematics for something, every once in a while muttering yes or no, saying it wouldn't work. About an hour after watching Naruto do this, Sasuke finally speaks up.

"What are you doing, dope?" He asks, his tone condescending as usual.

"Trying to see if I can get Kakashi in one of my pranks, he's really aware of everything around him, even when not in battle because of me." Naruto offers off-handedly, still scetching out what would seem to be a complicated plan. About thirty minutes after the little break in silence, Naruto grins before laughing.

"This should get him!" He says cheerfully, before taking out a scroll.

"Naruto, what are you doing?" I ask, looking at the schematics and realizing that even I didn't understand any of it. Although it looked simple.

"Quiet simple actually, I'm replacing the desk with a tub full of paint, and then disguising it as the desk with a Genjutsu (_Illusion Technique_). After that, I'm going to Henge my self into the screen door, when Kakashi walks through, I'm going to grab his legs and make him fall promptly into a can of paint. Knowing Kakashi, he'll flip over the can of paint and try and land on the desk, only to realize that he's knee deep in rainbow paint!" He explains, and like he said, it was quite simply, yet genius. It only took him ten to organize all of this, so I knew he was a pro. Giggling a little bit, Sasuke watches with interest as Naruto performs Henge and replaces himself with the door. About five minutes later, a man with white hair and a mask covering the bottom of his face enters. Glancing around, he's about to ask a question before Naruto releases the Henge and pulls on his legs. He did exactly as Naruto predicted, he flipped over the pain can and tried to land on the desk, and I could only giggle again as he looks down and glares at the paint before training his glare and the know laughing Naruto.

"Ha-ha! Got you Kakashi!" He choked out as he was rolling on the floor laughing.

I heard a chuckle behind me, and saw Sasuke smirking.

"Naruto…" I hear him curse under his breath as he steps out of the tub. "My first impression of you, is I hate you." He says, mostly glaring at Naruto.

"Oh come on Kakashi, I was only getting you back for stringing me up like a boar!" Naruto yelled, which made Kakashi stop before chuckling.

"Meet me on the roof in three minutes." He says, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Damn Kakashi, always trying to show off…" I hear Naruto mutter before getting up and looking at both of us.

"Coming? Kakashi doesn't like it when people waste his time." He tells us, before walking down the hall. Looking back at Sasuke, I see him stand up and follow Naruto's lead. Standing up, I follow them and get the roof to see Kakashi reading a little orange book.

"Kakashi!" I hear Naruto yell, as if reprimanding him. "Put away that vile book! What if Baa-chan was here! Huh? You'd get your ass kicked is what!" Naruto yells, seeing Kakashi sweatdrop before slipping the book back into his pouch.

"You know Naruto, I'm going to get you for that prank earlier…" I hear Kakashi whisper into his ear as he passed, only to see Naruto grin.

"You can try, Kakashi, you can try…" He taunted, getting a growl from Kakashi.

'They seem like brothers, the way they talk to each other…' I think as we all take seats in front of Kakashi.

I see him sigh before he mumbles something under his breath about stupid blond-haired prodigies.

"Well, since I'm going to be your Jounin-sensei, I guess I should get to know you somewhat, so you're going to tell me your name, likes, dislikes, hobbies, and dreams. You first pinky." He said, point at me, causing me to twitch.

"**I'll teach you to call me pinky!" **Piped up my Inner, to which I instantly agreed.

"Give us an example, sensei." I reply seeing his back hunch a bit more.

"Kay, my name is Hatake Kakashi, I like a lot of stuff, dislike very little, have no hobbies, and I don't' have a dream, no go." He says, making me sweatdrop before moving on.

"My name is Haruno Sakura, my likes are…" I say, before glancing at Sasuke and then looking back to Kakashi to continue. "And enigmas, the way they are mysteries as stuff." I explain the second part, glancing at Naruto. "My dislikes are jerks, and bullies. My hobbies are flowering and hanging out with friends. My Dreams are…" I trail off, glancing at Sasuke, before glancing at Naruto. Now don't get me wrong, I still like Sasuke, but I wanted to learn more about Naruto.

Kakashi regarded me for a second before pointing to Sasuke. "My name is Uchiha Sasuke, I don't like that much, and I dislike a lot. I don't' have any hobbies. My dream." Here Sasuke pauses. "No, my ambition is to kill a certain someone…" He said, darkly, making me furrow my brow.

'That seems dark, even for Sasuke-kun…' I think to myself, seeing hearing Kakashi sigh.

"Last but not least, you." He said in a bored tone as he pointed at Naruto.

"My real name is Namikaze Uzumaki Naruto, but everybody calls me Uzumaki Naruto." He says, catching my attention.

'Namikaze, where have I heard that before…?' I think as Naruto continues.

"My likes are ramen, Baa-chan, Ero-Sennin, Anko-chan, Ojii-sama, training, and pranks! My dislikes are the three minutes it takes for ramen to cook, perverts, killers, and snakes. My hobbies are training, planting, and coming up with new techniques! My dream is to become Hokage just like Ojii-sama!" Naruto says excitedly, smiling the whole way through.

"Naruto, you do know that Minato would've taken the surname Uzumaki, don't you?" Kakashi asks, throwing me and Sasuke out of the loop.

"So? I like my real name, and I do want something to remember him by." He says, making Kakashi sigh.

"Since Naruto's here, I don't think I really need to administer the test, but it's required, so meet me at training ground 12 tomorrow at Seven in the morning. Also, don't' eat." He says, before turning around and stepping on the balcony.

"Why should we eat, sensei?" I ask, seeing him turn around and give us what I would presume to be a smile, since his eye turned into a U.

"Because you'll puke!" He says, before disappearing.

"Don't listen to him." Naruto says suddenly, catching both mine and Sasuke's attention. "He doesn't want us to eat because it'll make us weak as we fight, and arrive an hour and a half late, because we need to talk before Kakashi gets there." He says, making Sasuke snort.

"Why would we need to talk?" He asks, tone once again condescending.

"Because, if Kakashi does what I think he's going to do, we're going to need to work together." He explains, before sighing.

"Now I need to go and find Anko-chan, she's teaching me another torture technique today…" He says before disappearing.

The words he said made me blink. 'Torture technique?'

* * *

**_Review, flame, and whatnot..._**

**_Ah, this fics isnt' so bad, although hopefully I dont' screw up..._**

**_I need some help deciding Naruto's weapon._**

**_He can have a sword like Zabuza's, big and wide, which he would carry around on his back._**

**_He can have a normaly Katana that has been enhanced to be stronger then normal._**

**_He can have the ability to manipulate chakra into a sword, but that would be a Kekkei Genkai, since chakra can't be shaped normally._**

**_Those are his choice of weapons. This fic will be updated on a normal basis if I can._**


	2. Drastic Change?

_**Enigma**_

**_Eh eh eh... I have to say, I didn't think this fic would be recived so well by people, so I'm really happy! I'm sorry for the late update, but school started this week, and that is a little hamper on my writing time... Thanks to all of you for reviewing! It makes me really happy that people like my writing!  
And, by a landslide, the Katana wins, but we won't go into much detail in this chapter.  
And I'd like to thank Mr. Lee for reviewing, even though it was rude of me to ask. I've taken his constructive critisim to heart, and in this chapter tired to make Naruto, more like Naruto. And as for Sakura, I'm trying to make her like a fusion of 1st arc and 2nd arc Sakura. She may be a little OC..._**

_**Chapter II**_

_**Drastic Change?**_

(Eight Twenty AM Training Grounds 12)

I had woken early, like usual, so I decided that I would arrive early and see if Naruto was there, to learn more about him. He was kind of funny though, yesterday with the prank. And he said Kakashi-sensei's name like he knew him, so I was curious, again.

Walking towards the clearing, I hear voices that stop me in my tracks. No, more like it was a voice. Deciding to check it out, I walk into the foliage of the surrounding forest and get closer to the voice, to realize it's Naruto speaking… to himself.

"Hey, Riku-chan, why'd ya tell me to bring Kishin no Kaze (_Demon God of Wind_)?" I hear Naruto ask to thin air, making me raise an eyebrow. To my surprise, a minute later, he speaks again. "Oh, I see, that's why I couldn't bring it to the academy…" He trails off, and he had spoken like someone had answered his question.

'What the…' I think as I continue to eavesdrop.

"You want me to what... Let down the mask? Why... You have a point; the villagers seem less violent when I have the mask off. But then again, Tsunade did say that acting this way might make me more popular… You're right; I don't think she intended me to act like this though…" He kept having a conversation with someone I couldn't see. All of a sudden he laughed. "Yeah, I guess you're right! I should loosen up! So, what are we going to do about the test Kaka-sensei's giving us…? He is my sensei; I should call him by it… So who cares? I like the ring of Kaka-sensei… If Kaka-sensei gives the bell test, like he did last time, me, Sakura and Sasuke-teme will definitely pass… Why teme? Because he has a log stuffed up his ass…" He said, before laughing cheerful laugh.

'Maybe he isn't such an enigma after all, just insane…' I think to myself as I sweatdrop.

"Ah, you're right! Sakura and the teme should be here soon!" He says, before jumping off the stump he was on and stretching. Deciding to go back to the opening of the clearing, to make sure he didn't get suspicious, I meet Sasuke walking there.

"Hey, Sasuke-kun!" I call, greeting him like I usual do. "Want to go out on a date?" I ask him, seeing him roll his eyes like he usual does.

"For the last time, Sakura, NO!" He yells the last two words, obviously frustrated.

"Okay…" I say, a crestfallen expression on my face. As I walk with him into the clearing, I see Naruto sitting criss-cross in a thinking pose with his hand at his chin. Noticing us, his face lights up.

"Hey, Sakura, teme!" He greets with a wide grin on his face, surprising Sasuke.

"What happened with the guy from yesterday?" Sasuke asks, making Naruto squint and frown a little. He was about to respond, before he noticed me and my face.

Jumping down from his position on the stump, he asks me. "What's wrong, Sakura? You look sad…" He sad, frown deepening.

"Leave me alone Naruto…" I warn him, seeing him raise an eyebrow.

"But all I want to do is help…" He says, making me twitch.

"I don't need your help, so get out of my face!" I yell at him, making him back up a little as I let some anger out on him.

"Sheesh! Don't have to yell." He says as he rubs his eyes that were subjected to my yelling.

"Never mind that, why'd you want to meet us here early?" I ask, still twitching a little.

"Well, Kaka-sensei is going to give us a test called the bell test, to pass we have to work together, pretty easy…" He says while shrugging.

"How do you know this Naruto?" Asks Sasuke, curious as to how Naruto had such knowledge.

"Pretty easy, I've seen him give it before and because he teaches me." Naruto said like it wasn't that big, but in Sasuke's eyes it was. He didn't know about Jiraiya.

"A dobe like you being trained by a Jounin?" He asks incredulously, glaring at Naruto. "I should've been trained by him! I'm the Uchiha!" He says selfishly, and I had to put in my two cents.

"Yeah, Sasuke-kun's naturally talented!" I add, getting a hurt glance from Naruto.

"Fine, but I don't care; you can try and get the bells yourself." Naruto said, a little hurt still evident in his face.

It was quiet from there on out as we waited for Kakashi-sensei. I felt a little guilty.

'All Naruto was trying to do was help us, maybe I should apologize?' I think to myself as the silence continues on, but just as I was about to talk to Naruto, Kakashi-sensei appears in an explosion of smoke.

"Good to see you guys are here…" He says as he reads his book, to which Naruto just rolled his eyes.

"I take it Naruto's already explained the rules?" He asks, glancing up at us from his book.

I hear him mutter. "I really don't want to do this, but I have to…" Then he looks up and puts his book away. "You three have till three in the afternoon to get these two bells from me. Only the two that actually get the bells pass, the last one goes back to the academy, understand?" He asks, to which Naruto just sits there and stares at Kakashi. I nod vigorously as Sasuke just grunts.

"Start!" He calls, to which me and Sasuke just disappear into the surrounding forest.

"Why aren't you hiding Naruto?" I hear myself whisper, before Kakashi-sensei asks the same thing.

"Because, you're a Jounin, it's pretty useless, so I think straight forward attach has the best chance." He answers honest, as I really couldn't disagree.

'He's got a point…' I think to myself as Naruto charges Kakashi-sensei. Getting into a defensive stance, Kakashi-sensei easily dodges Naruto's attempt to hit him, although a few got a little close, and I could see that Kakashi-sensei was trying a little to dodge. Kakashi-sensei finds and opening and kicks Naruto into the stomach and sends him flying back, and Naruto skids to a halt on the ground before standing up again and charging.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (_Shadow Clone Technique_)!" I hear Naruto call, surprising me as I blush a little. Five Naruto(s) appear and surround Kakashi-sensei as they try to hit him. This time it seemed Kaka-sensei was having a hard time dodging all of them.

'That's a Jounin level technique! How did Naruto learn it? It's a Kinjutsu (_Forbidden Technique_)…' I think to myself as Kaka-sensei continues to dodge all of Naruto's attempts, before I see something flash behind Kakashi-sensei. All of a sudden, Naruto appears out of thin air and kicks Kakashi-sensei in the back. I was about to cheer a little that Naruto could get a hit, before I see that Kakashi-sensei had used Kawarimi (_Body Replacement_) for a clone of Naruto's. I hear Naruto groan a little, before he noticed something.

"Kaka-sensei dropped a bell!" I hear Naruto say enthusiastically. My eyes widen as I recognize it as a trap, and was about to jump out of the bush to tell Naruto, but it was too late, Naruto was hanging by his legs.

"You know Naruto; you really should recognize a trap when you see one…" Kaka-sensei mutters as he picks up the bell, before I hear Naruto laugh and grin.

"Same to you, Kaka-sensei!" He calls, before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

'A Kage Bunshin (_Shadow Clone_)?!' I call inside my head, surprised that Naruto was smart enough to actually succeed in fooling Kakashi-sensei. All of a sudden Naruto appears behind Kaka-sensei again and grabs for the bells. I could see Kakashi's surprise as he jumps back as quickly as possible to avoid Naruto.

"Where'd you learn that?" Kakashi-sensei asks as Naruto pouts a little, before grinning.

"The Touton Jutsu (_Transparent Escape Technique_)!" He answers with a grin. "Ero-Sennin taught it to me!" He says, and instantly I knew who he was talking about.

I see Kaka-sensei sigh before asking. "Did he teach you anything else? Maybe a technique called Rasengan (_Spiraling Sphere_) or Kuchiyose no Jutsu (_Summoning Technique_)?" He asks, to which Naruto's grin falls.

"No, he said he wouldn't teach me those until I graduated…" He says, frowning a bit, before another grin makes its way to his face.

"I know Kakashi-sensei's a pervert, and that Ero-Sennin is too! So I made a special technique just for perverts!" I hear Naruto claim as Kakashi's one visible eye raises a brow.

"And what would that be, Naruto?" He asks, sounding bored.

"This! Oroike no Jutsu (_Sexy Technique_)!" He calls, before smoke surrounds him and he appears as a naked lady, causing me to blush before yelling in my head.

'The PERVERT! I'M GOING TO KILL HIM!' Was the thought going my head as I see Kakashi-sensei blush a little.

"Kakashi-sensei…" Naruto drawls. "Could you give me a bell…?" He/she asks, making a seductive pose. I couldn't help but fume, until I saw Kakashi start to reach for a bell.

'No way! He's actually doing it?!' I yell in my head as Kakashi starts to walk towards the female Naruto. Just as he was about to give the bell to Naruto, he shakes his head before grabbing the bell back. Jumping away, Kakashi glares at Naruto.

I see the female Naruto pout before he puffs back to the real Naruto. "And I was so close!" He calls in frustration.

"Naruto, you ever use that technique again, I'll kick your ass myself…" Kakashi-sensei says as he death glares at Naruto, to which he only grinned like an idiot.

"Ah, come on Kaka-sensei, you know you liked it!" He teases, getting Kaka-sensei to twitch.

"Oh, that's it Naruto, you're dead!" He yells as he jumps at Naruto in an attempt to capture him.

As he dodges the first jump, Naruto glances at me and smiles. Being taken aback, he nods his head towards the bells that were on Kakashi's belt. My eyes widen as I understand what he wants me to do. He wants me to steal a bell while Kakashi-sensei is trying to capture him. Nodding my head back at him, I start to sneak up on Kaka-sensei as Naruto keeps him busy with his dodging.

"Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu (_Multiple Shadow Clone Technique_)!" I hear Naruto yell as fifty Naruto's appear in front of Kakashi before jumping at him. Grabbing his arms and legs, Kakashi starts to shake them off.

"Now's your chance Sakura!" Naruto yells to me over the grunts of the clones. Nodding my head I run towards Kakashi and jump for his bells. I grin as I grab both bells and join Naruto in the clearing as all the clones are dispelled. Grinning with Naruto, I give him a bell and Kakashi sighs.

"You guys did pretty well." Kakashi-sensei says "But you guys still don't pass." He deadpans, causing my jaw to hit the floor.

"But Kaka-sensei! Me and Sakura worked together to get the bells from you!" Naruto yells, making Kakashi raise an eyebrow.

"Are you forgetting about someone?" He asks, and instantly Naruto's quiet. I hear a deep sigh come from Kakashi before he says. "Sasuke, come out! The test is over!" He yells, and Sasuke comes out with a scowl on his face.

"We all fail, don't we?" I ask as Kakashi shakes his head. "No, I'll be giving you another chance, but this time you only have three hours to get it from me instead, and Sasuke doesn't get to eat." He says as he appears behind Sasuke and takes him to the pull before tying him up as he struggles all the while.

Pointing to me and Naruto, he says. "You feed him, you fail." Before handing us some bento boxes.

As we began to eat, I could see Sasuke looking at our food, before looking away when he noticed that I caught him.

I hear a sigh, before I turn to look at Naruto cutting Sasuke's rope and giving him the rest of his bento box, which wasn't touched.

"You need it more then I do, and this test is about team work, so we'll have to have all of us at full strength." Naruto explains before any of us could ask why. Sitting back down, Naruto smiles at us. "This is what teammates are for, isn't it?"

All of a sudden, we hear a large boom and Kakashi's standing in front of us all, his one eye filled with fury beyond imagine.

"WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT LETTING SASUKE EAT?!" He yells, but continues before we can answer. "NOW YOU'LL SUFFER THE CONSICENCES!"

We all flinch at his voice as he's about to yell that we fail, when all of a sudden everything's calm.

"You pass!" He says with an eye smile.

All of our jaws hit the floor when Kakashi went from mad to happy in less then a second.

"Yes!" I cheer as the information sinks in as I pump my fist into the air.

I hear Sasuke grunt in approval, and I look over to see Naruto grinning a grin that could split his face.

"All right!" He yells, grin still in place.

As soon as the test was over, Kakashi-sensei said that he had to go and report to the Hokage and tell him how it went. He said to meet him at this training ground again tomorrow at nine, and we all complied, but we knew he was going to be late.

As we started to go our separate ways, instead of following Sasuke home like I usual do, I decide to tail Naruto and apologize to him.

As I follow him, he goes in the opposite direction of the slums, meaning that he isn't heading towards his house. As I keep following him, we enter the more advanced training grounds, often meant for Chuunin or Jounin. Just as I was about to reveal myself and talk to Naruto, three kunai appear out of a nearby tree and head for Naruto. Using speed I didn't' know he had, Naruto draws his Katana with such speed that I could barely see the blade. To my shock the kunai are split in half.

'Wait a sec, how long has he had that Katana on…' I think to myself, embarrassed that I hadn't noticed it before.

"Ero-Sennin (_Perverted Hermit_)! What the hell was that for?!" I hear Naruto yell at the tree, only to see Jiraiya jump down from it.

"Naruto, you have to be more aware of your surroundings." Jiraiya answers, getting Naruto to raise an eyebrow.

"What do you call that just now? I reflected the kunai." Naruto shoots back. Sighing, Jiraiya shakes his head before throwing a kunai at the bush I'm in. Not wanting to have a kunai lodged in my forehead, I dive out of it and sigh in relief.

"Oh, eheheh…" I hear Naruto sigh, laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his head.

"So." Jiraiya says, all of a sudden a lecherous grin on his face. "Who's this lovely lady? You're girlfriend?" He asks.

"WHAT?!" Both me and Naruto yell simultaneously.

"I DON'T LIKE HIM/HER!" We both yell at the same time, making Jiraiya clean out his ear quickly.

"That's not what I think, I think you'r-." Before he could continue, all of a sudden a fist connects with his face and he's sent flying through a tree.

"JIRAIYA!" I hear the owner of the fist yell, who was apparently Tsunade. "WHAT DID I TELL YOU ABOUT THAT?!" She yells, making Jiraiya cower in fear.

"I'm sorry Tsunade!" Yells Jiraiya as he huddles up in a ball.

"Don't kill him Baa-chan! I need him alive!" Naruto yells as he runs to Tsunade.

Growling, Tsunade glares at Jiraiya. "You're lucky Naruto's here to defend you, otherwise…" She trails off, leaving it to imagination.

I hear an audible gulp from Jiraiya, before I notice Naruto walking towards me. "So, why'd you follow me Sakura?" He asks once he gets within talking distance.

"Actually, I felt kinda guilty for yelling at you, so I wanted to apologize…" I trail off, biting the inside of my cheek.

"It's okay! Sasuke-teme has just rejected you! It's understandable! And I don't mind, just try not to hit too hard if you do!" He says cheerfully, making my jaw drop. He was okay with it, and he said that if I did it again try not to hit hard? What was with him!

"Uh, ah, ah…" Was the only thing that could come out of my mouth as he just continues to grin.

"So, Naruto, who's your friend?" Tsunade asks as she comes up from behind him.

"Baa-chan, this is Sakura, my teammate! Sakura, this is Baa-chan!" He calls, grinning as Tsunade smiles at me.

"It's nice to meet you." She says as she continues to smile, and I could only stare. Tsunade, of the Densetsu no Sannin (_Legendary Three Ninja_), as was actually smiling at me!

"Uh, uh, nice to meet you too…" I trail off, her smile still in place.

"Well, if you want, you could watch us train…" Naruto suggest as I stare at Tsunade.

"Actually, if she wants, she can join." Tsunade says as she starts walking back to Jiraiya, who started to get afraid again.

"Lets get moving, scaredy cat, we have to get training…" Tsunade says as she picks up Jiraiya by the shirt effortlessly, dragging him with her to the training grounds, and Naruto followed.

"Coming?" He asks as I just stand there. Shaking the shock out of my system I nod before running up to catch them.

As we continue to walk in silence, Naruto's the first one to break it. "So, Sakura, why do you like Sasuke-teme?" He asks, hand behind his head as he glances at me from the corner of his eye.

Smiling, I reply. "Because he's so dark and mysterious! He's hot too! And he's really smart!" I see Naruto give me a questioning glance, before he grins.

"That it?" He asks, grin still in place. "Doesn't seem like a lot, but okay!" He says cheerfully, glancing at me, probably seeing if I was angry. To his surprise, and as well as mine, I only smack his arm lightly, giving him a warning glance.

"Ow! Sakura-chan, that hurt." He says with a hurt tone, but his face said other wise as he grinned. Shaking my head, I smiled a little at his antics.

Then my brow furrowed as I notice something. 'He called me Sakura-chan? We barely just met…' I think to myself, before a thought comes to mind.

"So, is there anyone you like?" I ask, seeing Naruto blush a little before he nods his head. "Who is it?"

Instantly his blush darkens before he turns and grins at me, pushing me playfully. "None of you beeswax!" Laughing, I push back before I hear a chuckle ahead of us. Looking forward I see both Tsunade and Jiraiya chuckling.

Shaking my head, I turn back to Naruto. "So, where are we going?" I ask, seeing him look at me.

"There's a secret training ground that no one uses in the middle of this forest." He says as he gestures to the trees surrounding us. "We go there to train because it's silent and no one will bother to spy on us. You're the first person outside our little group to come." He explains, grinning again.

"I feel honored…" I joke around as I place a hand over my chest in mock surprise, before returning the grin. "So, who's in this little group?" I ask.

"Um, there's me, Ero-Sennin, Baa-chan, Anko-chan, Kaka-sensei, although he'll be late today. Sometimes Bushy-brows comes, and that's it, I think…" He says, placing a hand on his chin.

"Bushy-brows?" I ask him, only to receive an answer from someone behind us.

"That would be Gai." Turning around, I come face to face with a woman who had purple hair which was done up in a strange pony-tail. She wore mostly netting and had a long brown over coat. She also had this strange look in here eye.

"Anko-chan!" I hear Naruto call beside me as his grin widens. "How ya been?" He asks cheerily.

"We saw each other yesterday, Naruto. I'm fine." She says, looking at the Gennin. He only smiles back.

"Who's the girl?" She asks, glancing at me. Opening my mouth to respond, someone else answers.

"That would be Sakura, Naruto's teammate." I hear a familiar voice say above me. Looking up, I see Kakashi standing upside down on a tree branch.

"Kaka-sensei?" I ask in wonderment as I study him as he continues to stand on the tree upside down, like the rules of gravity didn't apply to him.

"The old man let you go early, huh?" I hear Jiraiya ask as Kakashi jumps down beside Naruto and nods.

"That means every one but Bushy-bro-." Naruto starts, before he is interrupted by a loud yell.

"HELLO MY YOUTHFUL COMPANIONS! TODAY IS SUCH A YOUTHFUL DAY! LET US CELEBRATE WITH THE START OF TRAINING!" Covering my hears, I look at everybody else to see them just standing there. Giving them all a questioning glance, Tsunade answers.

"That's Gai." Looking to the originator of the noise, I take my hands away from my ears as they drop to my side. Standing right there was a tall man, with a green spandex jumpsuit, a bowl cut, and like Naruto's nick-name stated, very bushy eyebrows. I could only twitch as this abomination to fashion just smiled at us.

"I agree with Bushy-brows! Lets start training!" Naruto yells in agreement, to which the rest of them just shrugged before walking back on the path to the training grounds.

It took us another ten minutes to get there, and the entire time Gai was going on about youthfulness and other stuff like that. I swear I was about to lose it and smack him so hard that he'd be sent into next week.

"Gai, I think you should quiet down, it appears that Tsunade-hime and Sakura are about ready to kill you." Kakashi says calmly as he reads his book, starting Gai on a rant about how Kakashi acted all cool and stuff.

Giggling a little as Kakashi asks what he said, I lean into Naruto and whisper. "Do they do this all the time?" I ask, seeing him grin and laugh.

"Yeah, Bushy-brows is always trying to start a fight with Kaka-sensei! Never goes past rock-paper-scissors though…" He replies, sounding a little disappointed about the rock-paper-scissors thing.

"Okay! Lets start our youthful training!" Yells Gai, quickly getting over Kakashi's supposed 'coolness.'

"Net yet Gai, I want to see this Sakura in action." Tsunade says all of a sudden, getting me to gulp audible as she glances as me. "You're going to be sparing against Naruto, to see how good you are first." She say, making my eyes widen.

"Naruto!? No way! I'll get murdered! Seriously!" I yell back at her, making him lift an eyebrow.

"Don't worry, Sakura-chan! I'll go easy on you! No Kage Bunshin no Jutsu! And I'll pull my punches!" He says cheerfully, making me feel a little pathetic.

"No, Naruto, you can't use Kage Bunshin, but no pulling punches." Jiraiya says strictly, making me gulp at the image of taking a full power punch from Naruto.

"But Ero-Senni-." He says, before he gets interrupted.

"No buts Naruto." Anko says. "We won't know how strong she is if you pull your punches."

I see Naruto about to complain, before he's silenced by a glare from Jiraiya and Tsunade. "Fine…" He mumbles, before sighing and walking to the other side of the training grounds. Getting ready for a fight, I take the hint before groaning and standing on the other side.

"Sorry Sakura-chan…" I hear Naruto say across the field as Tsunade gets ready to call for the spar to begin.

"It's okay…" I mumble, knowing he probably wouldn't her me.

"Begin!" Tsunade calls, and instantly Naruto's charging at me. Thinking fast, I flip through a few seals before saying.

"Bunshin no Jutsu (_Clone Technique_)!" I call, and instantly five fake versions of me appear and then we all surround him. Halting as he sees me split, he starts to glance around as we all flip through hand seals.

"Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu (Demonic Illusion: Hell Viewing Technique)!" I whisper, hoping he falls for it as an imaginary circle of leaves spin around him. All of a sudden Naruto stops in his tracks.

'Thank god that I asked otou-san to teach me a Genjutsu…' I think as I see Naruto start to wonder around. Following him closely, I see his eyes widen all of a sudden, before he whispers.

"Baa-chan? Ero-Sennin?" To my surprise, he gulps, before he starts to get mad. "Who did this!?" He yells, scaring everybody, including me, in the area. "I'm going to kill you!" He yells, his voice taking on a demonic edge as this red chakra starts to seep from him.

"Sakura! Cancel the technique!" I hear Jiraiya yell. Not hesitating a second, I put my hands together in a seal before calling kai. As soon as the illusion was down, Naruto looks around before he sees Tsunade and Jiraiya, and he starts to calm down.

"Sorry Naruto!" I call as I chew on my bottom lip, catching his attention.

He sighs before rubbing the back of his head. "It's okay, Sakura-chan, just don't do that again." He says, before I feel a hand on my shoulder. Turning around, I see it's Tsunade's hand.

"I see potential in you, especially with your chakra control." She says, smirking down at me.

"Really?" I ask excitedly, eyes widening at the compliment.

"Yeah, really, so if you want me to train you, I guess I wouldn't mind…" She says, her smirk still in place as my eyes widen to the size of saucers. I couldn't say anything as the shock of what she said settled upon me.

"I-I… I'D LOVE TO!" I yell excitedly as my smile widens to the equivalent of Naruto's.

"That's great Sakura-chan!" Naruto yells behind, catching my attention.

"I know!" I yell, before hugging him in the spur of the moment. "Thanks for bringing me along!" I yell. Realizing that I was hugging Naruto, I pull back instantly before blushing a little. Glancing up, I see Naruto rubbing the back of his head while a blush adorned his face too.

Hearing Jiraiya and Tsunade chuckle again, this time I glance up and glare a little, making their chuckling to continue. Pouting a little, I look away as the blush I had stays.

'What's with me?' I think to myself, before sighing.

"Well, we should get home, right?" Naruto asks, his blush gone as his grin returns.

"Yeah, I'll take Sakura home." Kakashi says, looking from his book to us.

"Thanks, Kakashi." Jiraiya says as he walks over to Naruto. "And I need to talk to you." He says to Naruto.

Nodding his head, Naruto turns to me. "See ya tomorrow, Sakura-chan!" He says, before he and Jiraiya disappear.

Turning to Kakashi, I see him putting his book away as he looks at me.

The walk to my house was silent for the most part, that is, until Kakashi broke the silence. "You know, Sakura, you're stronger then you let on." He comments, making me look at him.

Slightly offended, I know what he means. "Thanks a lot, Kaka-sensei!" I tease/slash scold, seeing him look sheepishly at me with his one eye.

"Sorry, but the Academy records never list you having any Genjutsu, so it was a surprise to see you use one." He explains, making me feel a little better.

"Yeah, my otou-san taught it to me a week ago, and that was the first time I used it." I say, feeling happy that Kakashi-sensei was impressed with me.

"Well, this is your house, and after practice tomorrow, join me and Naruto, Tsunade will probably want to start your training as soon as possible." Kakashi-sensei informs as he pulls out his book and starts to read. "Sayonara (If you don't know this, you obviously are not familiar with Japan. _Good Bye_)." He says as he waves before disappearing.

'I start training with Tsunade-shishou (_Master Tsunade_) tomorrow…' I think as I enter the house to be greeted by the smell of dinner.

"This is gonna rock!"

* * *

**_Review, flame, and whatnot..._**

****

**_Also, I hope all of you know who Naruto was talking to, it'd be kind of sad if you didn't..._**

**_Like the Name for his blade? I do! Fits his chakra element! _**

**_Like I said, Sakura's a little OC, I know, but hopefully not horrible so..._**

**_Thanks for the reviews! And hopefully I get as much reviews for this chapter as the last!_**


	3. Understanding

_**Enigma **_

**_Wow, I'm on a roll! Three stories in a row in one week! Holy! Well, I'm happy, and while I may be moving it along a little fast, I've been reading way too many romance novels. I hope this chapter doesn't suck! I personally like it a bit..._**

_**Chapter III**_

_**Understanding**_

Arriving at the training grounds two hours late, already trying to get adjusted to Kakashi's schedule. As I got there, I could see Sasuke and Naruto, actually talking, which was a monumental event.

"So, Sasuke, what techniques do you know? I didn't get to see you battle at all yesterday," Naruto asks as he leans against the stumps, and I see Sasuke glance at him from his perch on his tree.

"None of your business," Was all he said, and as I got closer, Naruto looked at me and smiled.

"Hey Sakura-chan!" He calls enthusiastically, grinning. Just as I got close enough, an explosion sounded and Kakashi appeared on top of the stump Naruto was leaning against.

"Ohayo (_Good Morning_)!" He calls cheerfully, before Naruto punches him in the face as he leans down, making him rubs his face as he lands on his ass in a comically matter.

"Bastard," I hear Kakashi mutter under his breath as he gets up and walks past Naruto, but not before elbowing him the stomach hard enough to make him double over, and I could Kakashi chuckles as Naruto curses at the masked Jounin (_High Ninja_).

"Okay, now on to business, today I thought we'd start out with training instead of picking up a few missions. Sound good?" He asks as he turns around to see Naruto glaring at him while I just stare at Kakashi.

"You okay Naruto?" I ask as Sasuke jumps down from his perch.

"Yeah, I'm fine, he pulled that one," I hear Naruto grunt as he gets up.

"What did you have in mind sensei," Sasuke more demands then asks, making Kakashi roll his eye.

"Well, for you two, I was planning on teaching you tree climbing. But, since I'm lazy, Naruto, why don't you show them?" He asks his eye-smile in place while Naruto grumbles something about masked perverts. Walking up to a tree and not even making a hand sign Naruto walks up the tree, defying the laws of gravity like Kakashi did yesterday.

"How the hell?" I hear Sasuke mutter as he watches Naruto walk onto a branch upside down.

"Pretty much, from what Baa-chan told me, all tree climbing is focusing chakra into your feet and using it to glue yourself to the tree. Kaka-sensei will be better at explaining it then I am," Naruto comments as Sasuke and I spin on Kakashi.

"Well, pretty much, what you're doing is focusing chakra to the soles of your feet, and walking up the tree. You have to keep a constant flow of chakra to the feet, if you have too little, you fall, if you have too much, you get launched of the tree. The thought is, by mastering this technique; you can master any technique, because the soles of your feet are the hardest place on the body to focus charka to." Kakashi gives a long winded explanation.

"It took me while to get the hang of it, but water walking makes tree climbing look like child's play, so if you ever want to beat your brother, Sasuke, you have to master this," Naruto taunts Sasuke, motivating him, and surprisingly doing it quite well as Sasuke creates a hand seal right away and tries to walk up the tree, before being blasted away from it.

"Too much chakra, teme, an even flow, and I suggest you get a running start," Naruto advises as I walk next to Sasuke and help him up before going to a different tree.

"I'd also suggest you mark your progress every run with a kunai," Kakashi says as two kunai land in front of us.

Creating a hand seal, and focusing chakra to my feet, I take a running start at the tree before me, and to my surprise I make it up about five feet before the bark explodes, and as I rocket away I mark my record. Sasuke was a foot below me.

"Better," Kakashi comments as he stands upside down with Naruto.

We repeat this for well over an hour minutes before I can finally make it to the top. Sasuke was about three fourths of the way there.

"Very good, Sakura, I thought you were going to be first," Kakashi says with his eye-smile, as I stand at the top of the giant tree and catch my breath, "But can you walk up the tree? Getting a running start helps, but I want you to walk."

I groan as I start to walk down the tree with little effort, and I glare at Kakashi from the middle of the tree, as he nods his head in approval. A minute later, I hear Sasuke confirm he's made it to the top as he walks, although he had to concentrate, down the tree.

"Very good, you two caught on quicker then I thought you would," Kakashi comments as he jumps down, followed by Naruto.

As we make our way down the tree, I hear Naruto ask Kakashi, "Think we should teach them water walking? Or let them have a break?"

"Let them have a break, you can tell Sakura's running out of chakra, and if she wants to train with Tsunade she has to have most of her chakra," Kakashi explains, as Naruto nods before walking away from Kakashi and them.

"Where are you going?" I call out to him as I reach the bottom, but Kakashi answers for him as he continues to walk.

"Jiraiya and Tsunade said to meet him early this morning, so he's leaving now. We'll catch up to him later." I nod and see Sasuke giving me a questioning glance as we leave him out of the loop.

"Now, it's time for some teamwork exercises," Kakashi says as he puts away his book.

I could only groan…

* * *

(Naruto's P.O.V.)

As I continued to walk, I heard Riku-chan's voice enter my thoughts.

**You know, with the thoughts your having about that Sakura, I'd swear Jiraiya's rubbing off on you, **Instantly I'm fuming at her.

_Shut up! I'm not like Ero-Sennin (_Pervert Hermit_)! And anyways! It's just a crush, and I'm a freakin' teenager for Kami's sake! _I retort, hearing her light chuckle.

**True, the most perverted thing you've thought of is making out with her, so I guess it isn't that bad, **She comments, and I'm twitching.

_You are so lucky that I can't use Kaze no Kishin _(Demon God of Wind)_, in that little mindscape, or I'd slice you into little fox pieces! _I only amused her as she chuckled again, and my twitching increase. _Mesuinu… _

**YOU DID NOT! I'LL KILL YOU! **I hear her growl, and I chuckle myself as she tries to give me a headache. It didn't work, I could block her off. **You know, sometimes I hate that I saved your life… **She comments off handedly, and instantly my mood is somber.

_Sometimes, I wish you hadn't…

* * *

_

(Sakura's P.O.V.)

As I lied on the grass after the teamwork exercise, I couldn't help but let my mind drift off with random thoughts.

_**Why don't we think about Sasuke-kun? **_Buts in my inner persona, and I couldn't help but groan for the millionth time that day.

_No, I'd rather think about the training after I get out of here… _I say, surprising myself and my inner.

_**Is that because Naruto will be there? **_Instantly I'm blushing.

_Hell no! He's a friend! Albeit a freaky, insane one, but just a friend! _I yell at her for such a stupid comment.

_**Yeah, but I gotta admit, he's pretty hot for his age, **_She adds, and I just want to strangle her.

_SHUT UP! _

_**You aren't denying it… **_She said, and I started to visible twitch and clench my hand.

_JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY! _I yell, finally quieting down my annoying inner self.

Sitting up, I see Sasuke heading home for the day as Kakashi leans against a nearby tree.

"Ready to face Tsunade's tor… training," Kakashi catches himself from saying something, and I give him a questioning glance. Sighing, I nod my head before I follow after Kakashi was we make our way to the training grounds.

"How strong is Naruto?" I ask Kakashi out of the blue, pulling his nose from that book of his.

"Physically? A lot stronger then Sasuke, I'll give you that. Mentally? Sometimes I think he's a complete and utter idiot, other times, he's a genius worthy of Shikamaru," Kakashi answers, confusing me on the Shikamaru part. He always slept in class.

"Could he beat you?"

This didn't seem as surprising as the first question to Kakashi, "No, but he's getting stronger, he progresses faster then anybody I've ever seen. When we first met him, Tsunade, Jiraiya, Anko, Gai, and I, he was a complete and utter dropout. He couldn't even do the simplest Ninjutsu (_Ninja Technique_), it was kind of embarrassing," Kakashi says, hands in his pocket.

"Think he'll ever be stronger then you," I ask hesitantly.

"Not a doubt in my mind," He answers immediately, making me look up at him. "Naruto has more potential in him then I've ever seen in anyone before. He has worked hard for his strength, and he was born with no advantages, unlike Sasuke. Sometimes, I think he could even be stronger then the Yondaime," He says, and although I couldn't see it, I was pretty sure he was smiling from the tone of his voice. They really were like brothers.

"Naruto's father, Namikaze Minato, who was he?" I asked after a couple minutes of silence, and I see Kakashi almost trip over himself as hears the name.

"Why do you ask," He questions me as we continue to walk along the path, now entering the forest.

"Just, curious, I think Naruto looks like the Yondaime, from the pictures I've seen of him, so I was wondering if that was him," I explain, and see Kakashi's tense muscles relax.

"I'll let Naruto tell you, if he wants. But don't be confident, Naruto sometimes doesn't like talking about his mother of father, if you didn't know, he is an orphan," Kakashi enlightens me, and all of a sudden I feel a lot worse for Naruto, growing up without any parents, but, Jiraiya and Tsunade seem like they filled that spot in his heart.

Thinking for a minute, I almost ask something, before deciding against, seeing it as a question better fit for Jiraiya.

"What were you going to ask?" He asks, seeing as I had made it halfway through the sentence.

"Nothing, I was just thinking aloud," I cover up, and seem him eye me before he turns his attention forward again.

As we reach the clearing, I hear something that sounds like an explosion and run towards the sound to see Naruto swiftly dodging all of Tsunade's punches with a serious look of concentration on his face. Gracefully, almost like a fluttering wind, Naruto dodges all of Tsunade's punches and kicks, his grace unknown to humans. And just as he dodges one more blow, going on the offensive with the elegant speed of a hawk, eyes just as keen. Realizing that I was fondling him with my eyes, I shake my head to clear the thoughts.

"That's Naruto's advantage, his speed," Kakashi explains as I realize that he is going faster then yesterday.

"His speed?" I ask, still awestruck by the way Naruto moved.

"Yeah, our nickname for him is Konoha no Kaze (_Konoha's Wind_), because he sure seems fast enough," He explains as I continue to watch Tsunade's useless attempts to catch Naruto under her fist.

"Why? He doesn't seem _that_ fast…" I ask, already knowing that the question was stupid.

"Well, he has three sets of weights on each arm and leg; apparently he's taken of the first set, because he can't move this fast with all three. The reason we had this done was to make him even faster, and to stop him from using his whole speed at all times, keeping it as a trump card. Without all the weights, he could easily outrun all of us with no problem," Kakashi says, and my eyes widen as I see him take off eight more weights, which would be the rest of them, and I see Tsunade's frown.

Before I could even register he was gone, he had his fist in Tsunade's stomach, before he disappeared again, all of this under two seconds as he comes from behind with a kick to the back of her head, sending her flying. He was going at speeds that even Tsunade couldn't register, and that's when I realize he deserved the name Konoha no Kaze. He was going faster then the wind.

Relaxing his stance, Naruto walks over to his weights and puts them on while walking over to Tsunade to help her out of the ground. As soon as she was up, I heard Naruto apologize for hitting her so hard, but she said she'd hit him harder.

"Hey guys!" Kakashi makes his presence known as both Tsunade and Naruto look over at us.

"Hey! Just in time! We just finished with a spar," Naruto announces, helping Tsunade up and walking over to us.

"I know, we saw the last bit, you really are fast, Naruto," Kakashi says as Tsunade's right behind him, and he rubs the back of his head modestly.

"Not really, I mean, I'm sure that Ojii-sama (_Grandfather_) in his prime could have easily out run me, same with Bushy Brows, and from what I hear, Bushy Brows Jr.," He says, showing great modesty compared to the usual self-confidence.

"No, Naruto, not even Sarutobi in his prime was that strong, not even Minato was that fast without the Hiraishin (_Flying Thunder God_)," Jiraiya adds as he jumps down from a nearby tree.

"Even I would have trouble following such youthfulness," Gai says as he walks up behind us.

"So don't be so modest, just accept the compliment," Tsunade finishes as Naruto blushes at all the praises. Turning her attention to me, she smiles, "So, are you ready to start training?" Nodding my head, she nods her head towards a nearby stump with something one it. As I got closer, I could see that it was a fish. _What's the fish for? _I voiced my thoughts aloud to Tsunade.

"Well, I'm primarily an Iryoo-nin (_Medical Ninja_), so first things first, I'll be teaching you medical techniques," And for the next four hours, Tsunade taught me everything she could about the Shousen Jutsu (_Mystical Palm Technique_), and told me to try and revive the fish. I wasn't successful, but she said that I had understood the basics a lot faster then Shizune when she first taught them to her.

"Really?" I asked excitedly, although I was exhausted from focusing so hard.

"Yes, you learned the basics much faster then a lot, maybe even faster then I did. You couldn't heal the fish, but you were, close, for your first time. I'd say that by the end of this week you should be able to revive the fish," She encouraged me, and I felt much better, getting a compliment from the medical Sannin.

"We should probably head home," I hear a voice behind me, and I turn around to discover a very tired, very sweaty, Naruto, who had a lot of cuts and bruises, and his clothes were in no better shape. Running to him, I inspect all of the cuts and frown.

"Why didn't you tell them to talk it easy on you?" I say as I pull back, brows furrowed and a frown on my face. He only grinned sheepishly in response.

"Its better training if they go all out," Was his answer, and I really felt like hitting him, so I did.

"BAKA!" I yell as he rubs the back of his head, "Its better training if they go all out!? How stupid is that!" I yell, furious at him for such stupidity.

"He's right, you know," I hear Tsunade say from behind me, her hands glowing as she pushes me aside and starts to heal him, "Its better if the don't go easy on him, he gets better experience that way." But I couldn't help but frown.

"But still, if it's going to hurt him like this every time, they shouldn't beat on him so hard, he'll get really hurt one of these days," I argue against her as most of the cuts and bruises appear.

"I know you're worried about him," She starts, making Naruto and I blush, "But that's why we're here, I heal him before anything can cause too much damage, and after you're good enough with the Shousen (_Mystical Palm_), you'll heal him," She said, and my blush deepened. That'd mean I'd have to touch Naruto's skin, and that was horrifyingly enough, appealing.

_Get your head out of the gutter Sakura! _I yell at myself, fighting back the blush that was already staining my porcelain features.

_**I'm not so sure, I like the way your thinking! **_My inner buts in, and I direct all my anger at her.

_Just shut up! Naruto's attractive, that's all! No girl in there right mind should think otherwise! But I love Sasuke-kun! Naruto's just a friend! _I yell lots of anger behind my words.

_**Are you sure Naruto-kun's just a friend? I don't think you are, **_She continues, not backing down, and although I was oblivious to it, Tsunade and Naruto were staring at me questioningly as I spaced and clenched my fists.

_NARUTO'S JUST A, _"FRIEND!!!!!!!!!!!!!" I yell at the top of my lungs, and immediately clamp my hands over my mouth as everybody looks at me like I'm insane.

I chuckle nervously, rubbing the back of my head and shifting my silky hair around, "Eh, sorry, just, thinking…" I say lamely, and I could see none of them bought it.

"Okay," Naruto says, drawn out, "How about we head home now?" He asks, trying to get the conversation on a different track. Nodding my head vigorously, he waves goodbye to the rest of them before starting down the path, and I mimic him with my goodbyes, before chasing after him.

It was silent for while, eerily so, until I decided to break it, "Um, Naruto, who, were your parents? I don't mind if you don't tell me, I mean, it is a touchy subject, so I don't min-," I'm interrupted by a chuckle that erupts from him.

"It's okay, I was wondering when you'd ask, and I don't mind," He says, looking over his shoulder and giving me a reassuring smile, giving me butterflies in my stomach.

_I don't like him, I don't like him… Damn, I do like him, but only a little! But, I love Sasuke-kun, so I shouldn't be so worried, _But I was worried, for some odd reason, I liked this goofball, this elegant, attractive goofball. These butterflies were usually reserved for Sasuke.

"My, father, was a great man, a hero," Naruto stares off into the sky, looking towards the stars. "Do you know what true courage is?" He asks, off the track of the conversation.

"Um, to fear nothing?" I answer hesitantly, and hear Naruto chuckle a little bit.

"I used to think the same thing," He says cryptically. "No, to be courageous is to face your fears, for yourself, for others." He says. "Jiraiya says this was my father's favorite saying." He explains, actually calling Jiraiya by his name. "Jiraiya asked me this question when I was six, and I said the same thing as you. He didn't tell me I got it wrong, or if I got it right, but when I was ten, I realized what courage was when I was forced to face something I feared," Naruto explains, and I'm confused. How did this turn from a question of who Naruto's father was to his life story. Not that I minded, I had a feeling that Naruto needed more comfort then people realized, so I let him continue.

"I faced it, and lived, and then Jiraiya came up to me and said that I knew what courage was, and that I made my father proud. That's when I'd asked him who my father was," He said with a sigh, and a shaky breath. "You won't believe this, but my father was Konoha no Kiiroi Senkoo (_Konoha's Yellow Flash_), the Yondaime Hokage (_Forth Fire Shadow_)," Naruto says, with such serenity that there was no way I couldn't believe. And it all made sense, Naruto looked almost exactly like the Yondaime, excluding the whisker marks, and the Yondaime was a heart throb, just like Naruto. Then it all came to me, why Naruto had all these people helping him through this crisis of losing his father, because the all knew his father. Kakashi's sensei was Namikaze Minato, Naruto's father, my father had told me so, and Jiraiya was Yondaime's sensei. From what I had heard from father, Tsunade had really liked Minato, Anko had also known Minato through Orochimaru, and had apparently a crush on him, from the old gossip mother told me, Gai had also known Minato, through Kakashi of course. It all fit together. All of them felt they should help Minato's child out.

"I believe you…" I trail off, blushing as I said those words, and Naruto trained his gaze upon me.

"Really?" He asks, cautious, as if suspecting a trap. I nod my head shyly, and I glance up to see him smile at me.

Trying to draw his attention away from me so I don't continue to blush, I ask, "Did you know your mother?"

Naruto's attitude drops a little, but there's still a hint of a smile on his face. "Tsunade said that my mother's name was Uzumaki Kushina, so I adopted my mother's last name, and she said that my mother was very friendly, always energetic, a lot like me most of the time. Besides that, I don't know much about her, besides she had red hair, and I got more of my personality from my mother. She was originally an Uzumaki-nin (_Whirlpool Ninja_)," He informs me, and it strikes me that his last name, and his mother's last name, were Uzumaki, but I shake the thought away, throwing it aside as stupid daydreaming.

"If you want, I have a picture of them," Naruto says nonchalantly, spooking me out of my thoughts.

"Really? I'd love to see it," I say as Naruto digs in the vest he always wears and gives me an almost in perfect condition picture. In it was the hottie known as Namikaze Minato, no girl in Konoha could admit he wasn't attractive, it was virtually impossible, and a beautiful red headed woman next to him, snuggling into his embrace as they sat under a full bloom sakura tree. It was a beautiful picture, and it almost looked as if the two were asleep.

"Jiraiya took that picture when he found out, because he said that father hadn't told him about mother. When they found out they were pissed, from what Tsunade said," Naruto explains as I hand the picture back to him.

"They looked happy together," I comment shyly, that annoying habit coming back as I was embarrassed to look at Naruto.

_Damn stinking hormones!_

"They were, Jiraiya said he had never seen father happier then when Kushina had announced that she was pregnant, and that he said she glowed with unbridled happiness at the news of being a mother," He says, still looking towards the sky, looking for answers up there, and I couldn't help but be curious.

"What are you thinking about?" I ask as we continue Naruto's hands in his pocket.

"Just, thinking about what it would have been like if mother and father lived…" He said, looking back towards the ground. "I sometimes think, that if the Kyuubi no Youkou hadn't attacked, dad would still be here," He says, solemnly, and I couldn't help reach for his shoulder at the loneliness in his voice. He looks at my hand on his shoulder, a little surprised, before he places his hand on mine, and I hadn't noticed he had stopped. My heart sped up a little as the warmth from his surprising soft skin permeated into her cold hands. He smiled at me again, and I felt those butterflies take flight again, and I couldn't help but once again curse my raging hormones. _I'm twelve for Kami's_ _sake!_

"But, she couldn't help it…" He says, trailing off has he continues to stand there, looking at the sky once more, his hand still on mine, his words stumping me.

"She couldn't help it?" I repeat, raising an eyebrow. He chuckled a little before taking his hand off mine, and I silently beg him to put it back on mine as I reluctantly take my hand from his shoulder.

"Oh, never mind!" He says, rubbing the back of his head. "Shouldn't we get moving again?" He asks, grinning a little. Nodding my head, I walk beside him this time, instead of behind him, liking the warmth he radiated, physically and mentally, making me happier just being near him.

We soon reach my house, the silence not uncomfortable, but rather the opposite. Smiling, I stand up on my tip-toes on a whim and give him a peck on the cheek, making him and I blush.

"Thanks…" I trail off, before running into my house, and shutting it behind me, I lean against it as I fight the blush back again, reigning in my racing heart beat, and calming down.

"Okay, so maybe I like Naruto more then just a little…"

* * *

**_Review, flame, and whatnot..._**

**_Well, you got a little taste of what Naruto can do, and you now know without the weights, he might be able to beat Kakashi, but other wise, Naruto's weaker. Like Kakashi said, trump card, but, how many other trump cards does Naruto have? _**

**_Well, hope you like this chapter, and I plan to be working on Namikaze Naruto next, so those of you who read it, expect it up, I hope, soon! If you're lucky, in the next week, if not, two weeks at top..._**

**_Also, I need a beta for all of my stories, I've already got one for Gakkuri and Perfectly Broken, so I only need four more, I could really use the help! _**


	4. Author's Note

Author's Note:

I'm sorry to say that... I no longer really have an interest in Nauto fanfiction. I don't know how, or when, but my passion for this fanfiction seems to have... gone from me, and I apologize. I should have posted this AN so long ago. I must say, however, that not all is lost. I'm writing fanfiction again, and it is not without possibility that I may find inspiration to once more write my Naruto fics again.

However, until further notice, I'm putting all of my Naruto stories on hiatus. I'm sorry.


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